1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a suction cup assembly having a suction cup and holding device, and it more particularly relates to a suction cup assembly having a suction cup with a neck and a holding device which is removably attachable to the neck, the suction cup and the holding device each having one of a magnet and a magnetic metal for attaching them together to hold an article between them. The assembly can include a tether for attaching the holder to the suction cup or the magnet can be replaced with a sharp pin such as a thumbtack in which case the magnetic metal can be eliminated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is a need in offices, schools and homes to hold and perhaps display pieces of paper, photographs, notes and other small, flat items. Often, tapes or other adhesives can be used to attach items to surfaces. Instead of adhesives, there are fixtures which can be used to hold and display these items. For example, a smaller wire fixture such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,230,242, can be used to hold sheets of paper and similar items. One embodiment of this fixture attaches to a button or knob but the fixture could be attached to a suction cup. Another method of hanging or holding small items such as papers, notices, pictures, recipes, flyers and the like, without requiring a hole in the small item, is with magnets. Clips attached to magnets or suction cups are also available for this purpose.
A problem with using adhesives to attach items to various smooth surfaces is that the adhesives often damage both the item being held and the surface to which the item adheres. A problem with wire fixtures which hold papers and the like is that each paper must have a hole from which it can be hung from the fixture. A separate problem with magnets as devices to attach items to flat surfaces is that the surface must be a magnetic metal to which a magnet could adhere. Clips themselves may be the cause of damage if the strength of the grip exceeds the toughness of the surface of the article or articles held in the clips.